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Like many other districts in the nation, my district is scrambling a little. Covid is expensive...and I'm not convinced that "the right" decisions were made in the years leading up to this mess...so there's that..(but no one asked me...) Regardless, one of the ideas is to offer the option of early retirement to people who have between 14 and 30 years of service in the district. This is my 19th year, so I definitely qualify for consideration. I put my name in to see what happens. After a lot of soul searching (and number crunching and late-night searches for transcripts from undergrad) I decided that early retirement is not in the cards for me right now. There are too many moving parts to make it work for me/our family, so perhaps if it comes up again in a few years it will be an option...but not this year.
It did prompt some reflection on this place where I've spent almost 19 years of my teaching career. Here are some random Saturday morning thoughts. They are really in no particular order...if you haven't figured this out, this blog has become a sort of online journal. There are (many) posts that I've started and may never publish, and there are posts like this one that I start, let sit for a while, then find a reason to finish and publish. Enjoy this little sentimental trip down memory lane...
The day I started at OHS, The Girl turned one. Her brother wouldn't join us for a couple more years. But (and?) we've kind of come full circle...because The Girl is away at college most of the year and there is again only one "child" in my house!
We had two cats--Tigger and MJ and one dog, Indy--all of whom have crossed the rainbow bridge (and were joined by Liberty, who joined us much later in my OHS career!). We still have too many pets, but they are a different herd.
I drove a Volvo station wagon--I loved that car. I love my current car, but I often "wish" I'd paid the $500ish to fix the Volvo instead of trading it in for a Subaru. Bah. My car decisions for many of these OHS years have been influenced by "I need a car that has all-wheel drive in case they don't plow my neighborhood because my current house is in a different climate region than OHS"
I lived 3 miles away from OHS when I was hired--a quick trip home for lunch or to pick up forgotten things. I now live 26 miles away and not only are those quick trips not possible but sometimes the commute makes me really consider that (meh) early retirement package. Sometimes I've driven that 26 miles, arrived at school, and thought, "Ummm...is it a bad thing that I don't remember the trip at all?!". I've made the trip in 28 minutes (a record!) and on awful snowy (or construction) days it has take 2.5 hours to get to or from. My commute has stretched when I had kids at two different daycares/elementary/middle/high schools and shrunk when riding the bus or driving their own car was an option. There were a few years when I felt like I lived in my car. I've driven alone, I've driven with my kids, I've carpooled with co-workers. I've been dropped off and picked up, I've ubered and I even rode the city bus a few times.
I've been at OHS most of my 30's (9 years), all of my 40's and now I'm 50 (eek).
I've had fabulous days at OHS and some of the lowest and scariest moments of my life.
I've laughed a lot and cried a lot...sometimes both at the same time.
I've had phenomenal co-workers, made good friends, and tried to work with people who are really hard to work with.
I've looked forward to coming, I've dreaded coming, I've gone to work early because it is where I want to be and almost run out the door because I've had enough for the day/week/month/year.
I've searched job postings, and applied for other jobs, and enjoyed pictured myself being here until I'm 80.
Some days I feel like I have teaching all figured out and some days I still have no idea what I'm doing.
There have been great lessons that I think I should publish and lessons that I'd rather never think of again.
I've watched the younger siblings of my students grow from little people under the conference table during IEP meetings, to awkward 9th graders, to graduates, to really fabulous adults. I've been called to the front security desk to see "someone"--favorite students sometimes, who are home from college, jobs, adult life in other states, and sometimes "mystery" students...who hug me (pre-covid, clearly) and tell me how much they miss me and all the great things they are doing....then leave and make me search my mind for "what was their first name?!!". I once told the front desk person, who said, "You don't remember them?!" that I could tell you what class that student was in, what year, which desk, the way s/he answered a specific question...but not their name. D'oh.
I have so many OHS t-shirts and sweatshirts that I think I could make several t-shirt quilts...and still have shirts leftover (yet, I realize occasionally, that I did "miss" a few senior shirts and that I never have purchased an OHS beanie/stocking cap...which I would really love to have!!)
I have walked MILES during hall duty, stress walking, exercising.... from the South end of the building to the North end, around the building, up the "secret staircase"...I have also struggled in, lugging a baby and all his stuff (in-house daycare years), limped in on crutches, thunked in a walking boot....I've escorted my preschool children to the faculty bathroom and I've had my (former) secretary escort me and my crutches. I've watched pep assemblies, and state championship parades, indoor track practice... There are days I never leave my office/classroom and there are days when I feel like I have walked every inch of the building. (And there is that one day, not too many years ago when I came out of a faculty bathroom in another wing of the building and wondered where I was ). I've navigated a parking lot clogged with media vans and I've arrived (and left) in a dark parking lot when I'm pretty sure I'm the only person in the building (at least the only person in my wing).
I've loved my job, and hated my job, and loved my job again... And most days, at the end of the day, good or bad, I know this is exactly where God wants me to be. This place is a big piece of my story and I am thankful for the memories and lessons...and look forward to whatever comes next. 💚 💙💚 💙💚💙
